How I make Mandazi!!

Ingredients:

2 Cups of All purpose Flour (Plain wheat flour)
1/2 Cup of sugar (you may make it 3/4 Cup instead, for extra sweetness)
1 Tsp of Cardamon
2 Tsp of Yeast
3/4 Cups of Coconut milk
2 Tbsp oil
Oil for frying
Extra flour for kneading

Method:

Place 2 Cups Flour in your mixing bowl

 Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil (or any cooking oil). Heat in a pan, microwave may be dangerous.

Add oil onto your flour. Mix the hot oil in your flour, with a spoon (be careful its hot)

Once mixed with spoon, start mixing the flour and oil with your fingers, breaking down the oil lumps.

Add 1 tsp Cardamon and mix well with spoon

Add 2 tsp yeast and mix well with spoon

Add Sugar and mix well with spoon. 

 Warm 3/4 cup of coconut oil for 1 minute in the microwave

Add Coconut Milk in Flour mixture, and mix well with spoon as it may be hot. Once mixed, proceed to using your hands to mix the flour in a dough.

Powder the surface or work board with flour, that you will use to knead your dough.

Start kneading the dough using your clean hands. You may add small amounts of flour as you knead if your dough is sticky. Do not add too much flour, you will find the dough becomes less sticky as your continue to knead.

Knead your dough for 10 minutes. It is important to knead your dough for 10 minutes to ensure soft mandazi.

Your dough should not be sticky at the end of kneading

Cover your dough, and leave it in a warm place for about three hours, to rise. I forgot to photograph my risen dough. It should be double the size of the original dough. 

Once risen, knead the dough for another 5 minutes and cut it into three parts.

The dough should be soft. 

Powder your surface or work board with flour, you will use to roll your dough, to help prevent stickiness.  Powder your rolling pin as well.

Start rolling one part at a time, into a thick (pizza like) round, about 1/2 inch thick.  (not too thin)

Cut into sections with a knife. You can use a cookie cutter if you want precise shapes.

Set your shapes aside for 15 minutes to rise, before frying.

Your dough cut outs should have risen and ready for frying.

Heat up oil for deep frying your mandazi over medium heat.

Fry a few mandazi at a time. Turn them around once they turn golden brown.

Place your mandazi over paper towel to drain the oil.

They are ready to eat!! Enjoy and let me know how your turned out.

Pilau Recipe

Hey Everyone,

Here is a recipe for Pilau which I made last weekend.

This pilau serves about 6 plates. So you can make a smaller portion!

Let me know when you try the recipe, and share your photos if you can!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (8-10 pieces)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
Salt

1/3 cup of olive oil (or cooking oil of your choice)
3 cups of basmati rice
2 1/4 cups of hot water
6 cardamon seeds
2 large onions
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
3-4 potatoes
4 tbsp Pilau masala

Prior Preparations:

Soak 3 cups of basmati rice in cold water

 Clean Chicken pieces. Add salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1tbsp lemon juice. Mix in a bowl.

Peel potatoes and cut them in halves.

Peel and chop 2 large onions.

Cooking:

Heat oil and add cardamon seeds. Leave for 1 minute

Add onion to oil and cook until translucent.

Add 1 tbsp of garlic and 1 tbsp ginger. Cook garlic and ginger paste for 3 minutes.

Add seasoned chicken in pot. Stir and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add potatoes to the cooking pot. Cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Add 1 tbsp of Pilau masala. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove chicken pieces and the potatoes from the pot and place on a plate, leaving the onions and any sauce in the pan.

Add 2 1/4 cups of hot water and 3 tbsp of pilau masala into the pan. Add salt to taste. Boil for 2 minutes.

Drain water from the rice and clean it once. Add drained rice onto the pilau sauce.

Reduce heat to low-medium, cover the pot and cook rice for 20 minutes.

Add chicken and potatoes to the rice. Stir. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with kachumbari! Enjoy!

Chicken Curry Recipe!

Well, here is another pictorial... this time it is chicken curry. (Indian chicken curry), or at least my version of it.lol. It is a lot easier to cook as well.

I will be making a beef dish soon, for you to try at home.

Ingredients:
Part one:
2 boneless chicken breasts( cut into bite sizes)
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of blackpepper
2 teaspoons of lemon juice, or 1/2 a real lemon
1 pinch cayenne pepper.

Part two:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup plain yoghurt
3/4 cup coconut milk
salt to taste

Prior preparations:

Place your chicken pieces in a bowl. Marinate with a pinch of salt, a pinch of black paper, a pinch of cayenne pepper and lemon juice. (I added some chilli on mine for extra hotness). Mix well. Cover with cling film, and place chicken in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

In another bowl, mix in your 3 tablespoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of white sugar and 1 bayleaf. Set aside.


Cook:

Set your cooker on medium heat. Heat olive oil in pan and add onions. Cook until onions are soft and translucent (p.s, mine are slightly burnt, lol).

Add 1 teaspoon of ginger, and 1 teaspoon of garlic. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Add your spice mix. Stir well.

Cook onions and spice mix for 2 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 cup of plain yoghut, and 3/4 cup of coconut milk. Mix well.

Add your chicken and mix well. Bring the curry to boil(bubble). Reduce the heat to medium low, and cover pot and let the curry cook for 20 minutes. You can stir from time to time.

After 20 minutes, taste your curry. Add salt if needed. If food is too spicy, add water and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. (if you add water, increase cookers heat to bring the curry to boil, then reduce it again to medium low)

Cover the pot and cook for another 20 minutes, untouched.

You are done. Serve with rice or paratha. This amount is enough for two days! 

Enjoy! 

Butter Chicken Recipe!

Here is another: "How to" pictorial, and it's "Butter Chicken" also known as Chicken Makhani. This dish is not that difficult to make, as long as you have all the ingredients. The only difficult part is chopping up onions and cutting up pieces of chicken, lol! Seriously, it may look complex but it is easy and tastes delicious. It is a little spicey, but you have the power to make it as spicey as you would like! Try it now, or try it in Uni.

I am still constructing a list of spices that you should purchase from shoprite, to bring with you, as a lot of dishes use the same ones.

Ingredients:
Part one:
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
2 Chicken breasts (cut into bite sizes, and season lightly with a pinch of salt and black pepper)
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1 Pinch Cayenne pepper

Part two:
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
2 Tablespoon Butter
1 medium onion
1 Teaspoon Ginger paste
1 Teaspoon Garlic paste
2 Teaspoon lemon juice
1 Teaspoon ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon chilli powder ( put less if you don't want it too hot)
2 chopped chillis  (optional, if you want extra spicey)
1 Cup diced/chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 Cup Half and Half
1/4 Cup plain yoghurt
Salt
Black pepper



Cooking Part one:

Set the cooker on medium high heat, place your pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and your seasoned (salt and black pepper) chicken pieces. It should start to sizzle. Fry your chicken for 10-15, stirring frequently.

Chicken should turn light brown as shown, reduce the heat to Medium low.

Add 1 teaspoon of Garam masala and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Stir ingredients together and cook for 2 more minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and set in aside.

Cooking Part two:

Set cooker on Medium heat. Heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil, add chopped onions.

Cook onions by stirring frequently until they are soft and slightly brown.

Add 2 tablespoon of butter, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, 2 teapoon lemon juice, and chillies (optional) and mix ingredients and cook for 1 minute.

Add 1 teaspoon of Garlic paste and 1 teaspoon of Ginger paste. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Add 1 cup of diced/chopped tomatoes. Stir and cook for 2 minutes

Add 1 cup of half and half, and 1/4 cup of plain yoghurt. Mix and bring to the boil. Once it starts to boil(bubble), reduce heat to medium low. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add salt and black pepper to your liking. Taste it ofcourse! Cover the pot and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium, Add your previously cooked chicken and bring the sauce to boil. If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of half and half. If it's too watery add 1 teaspoon of peanut butter (or boil the sauce with the lid open, this should let some water evaporate.)

Once sauce is at your desired thickness, taste it, see if the salt is enough, and then reduce the heat to medium low.

Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.

Pour your butter chicken on your serving dish, or serve immediately with steamed rice or paratha! Enjoy!

P.S I garnished my sauce with cilantro, hence the green leaves. you can do the same if you have them

I can't wait for you guys to try it and ofcourse, this is enough to eat for two days, lol! If you want to cook less, just half all the ingredients!

Heart ya!